DOCK 01GUIDES
Box truck guides
Plain answers for people who own, buy, drive or dispatch box trucks: sizes, money, freight, licensing, parts and upkeep. Every number has a source note and examples are labeled.
Written and checked by Ryan on the TruckSwing dispatch desk. How we source and update them: editorial policy.
DOCK 02TRUCKS & SIZES
Lengths, heights, widths and pallet counts side by side, from 10 ft to 26 ft.
- 26 foot box truck
The largest common box: what it holds, what it weighs and who it suits.
- 24 foot box truck
Where a 24 ft box sits between the 20 and the 26.
- 20 foot box truck
Capacity, license rules and typical uses for a 20 ft box.
- 16 foot box truck
What fits in a 16 ft box and what the driver needs.
- 12 foot box truck
The small box for local moves and light deliveries.
- 10 foot box truck
The smallest box truck, its limits and what it is good for.
- Straight truck
What makes a truck a straight truck and how the body choices differ.
- Cargo truck
The term covers a lot of vehicles. Here is how they sort out.
- Box truck types
Dry, refrigerated, curtain side, cutaway and more, with what each one hauls.
- Box truck classes (weight class chart)
Weight classes 2 to 8 by GVWR, with real trucks in each and the license line marked.
- Box truck brands
The chassis makers behind box trucks and what each one publishes.
- Medium duty box truck
Where medium duty starts and ends, and why the line matters.
- Diesel box truck
Diesel against gas for a box truck, with fuel cost per mile worked out.
- Electric box truck
Battery box trucks today: range, charging and where they make sense.
- Cutaway box truck
Van-front cutaways: lighter, easier to drive and smaller inside.
- Dual axle box truck
When a tandem rear axle earns its extra cost and weight.
- Crew cab box truck
Four doors and a box: who needs the extra seats.
- Box truck with sleeper
Sleeper options on a straight truck and the rules that come with them.
- Box truck with side door
Curbside doors for multi-stop routes: what they cost in space.
- Curtain side box truck
Side loading by forklift, and the trade-offs against a hard box.
- Refrigerated box truck
Reefer bodies on a straight truck: units, insulation and loads.
- Dock height box truck
Floor height, dock plates and why receivers ask about it.
- Straight truck vs box truck
Same thing or not? The short answer and the long one.
- How many pallets fit in a 26 ft box truck
The floor math for standard pallets, turned and straight.
- Box truck weight
Curb weight, GVWR and payload, and how to find yours.
- Box truck mpg
What moves fuel economy on a box truck and how to track it.
- 12 ft box truck with liftgate
Small box, liftgate on the back: what it adds and what it takes away.
- Straight truck vs tractor trailerTABLE
Two ways to move freight compared, line by line.
- Most reliable box truckDATA
Recall campaigns by chassis from NHTSA data, and how to judge reliability.
DOCK 03MONEY & BUSINESS
Authority, insurance, the truck and the first loads, in the order you need them.
- How much is a box truck
What drives the price new and used, and how to compare quotes.
- Used box truck
What to inspect, which records to ask for and red flags before you buy.
- Box truck leasing
Lease types, what the contract says and when leasing beats buying.
- Box truck financing
How lenders look at a box truck loan and how to prepare.
- Box truck owner operator
Running your own box truck under your own authority, start to finish.
- Box truck driver salary
What box truck drivers earn, from public wage data.
- Box truck insuranceTABLE
Each coverage a box truck carrier needs and what drives the premium.
DOCK 04FREIGHT & LOADS
DOCK 05LICENSING & COMPLIANCE
The 26,001 lb line, hazmat and passengers: when a CDL applies.
- Box truck authority cost
Filing fees and the costs around getting your own authority.
DOCK 06PARTS & UPFITS
Required gear, upfits the freight decides, and what each costs in payload.
DOCK 07MAINTENANCE & SAFETY
DOCK 08START HERE
New to box trucks?
Own a 26 ft box or a bigger truck?
When you would rather drive than work the boards, our desk finds and books the loads. We dispatch box trucks 26 ft and up and ten other equipment types.